Magazine subscriptions are a childhood rite of passage. If you’ve never purchased one for your kids, here’s why you should gift them one today.
Given my career as an editor, it’s probably no surprise to learn that I had a number of magazine subscriptions as a kid. My family received both OWL and Chickadee —one in my brother Matt’s name, one in mine—and it was an exciting day in our house when the new issues arrived. I’d devour mine and then beg Matt to read his. (I got in trouble more than once for doing all of the puzzles in both magazines—in pen, no less.)
Years later, I had subscriptions to YM and Seventeen that I even had redirected to my dorm room at university when I left home. I watched my little mailbox like a hawk to make sure those sought-after titles didn’t go missing in my giant residence building.
So, when I landed my first magazine job, at Chatelaine, it felt like a full circle moment.
Now, 30-plus years after those first issues started coming in my name, my daughters both have magazine subscriptions, too. Recently a friend of mine asked me why that was, when everything is available online. This is when I got up on my soapbox to extol the virtues of introducing your kids to print media.
A Different Way to Foster a Love of Reading
My oldest daughter, Sophie, was a reluctant reader for years. She liked being read to, but she pushed back whenever I suggested she pick up a book. Then one day, a couple of summers ago, we were at our local library branch and she noticed the wall of magazines. I found her sitting on the ground in front of the rack, reading a short story in a magazine geared at tweens. We checked out a few issues and the rest is history. Now, she’s a voracious reader who often gets caught reading by phone light under her covers.
Teaching Patience in an Instant World
Kids in Gen Z and Gen Alpha are used to a constant stream of entertainment. There is rarely any waiting. Sure, they might wait for the new season of their favourite show to drop, but there is no shortage of anything to keep their attention in the meantime. These are the instant gratification generations.
A magazine subscription is a way to teach the value of anticipation. There is a certain amount of excitement that comes with getting “snail mail”—a feeling most kids won’t ever really know. (There are no pen pals in the age of texting!) But getting a print copy of a beloved magazine comes with a feeling of expectancy that’s hard to find in this day and age. It’s an event to look forward to month over month, teaching kids that some things are worth waiting for.
Introducing Diverse Interests
Kids usually gravitate to a couple of interests—sports, science, animals, fashion, etc.—and it can be difficult to get them to see beyond what they love (especially when the algorithms on social media and streaming services are so dialled in to what they’re already searching and watching). But a magazine subscription can introduce them to new topics and hobbies, to help broaden their horizons and develop new critical thinking skills.
Boosting Imagination and Creativity
Magazines aren’t just about words; they’re also about creative, arresting, beautiful visuals. Flipping through a magazine offers page after page of opportunity for a child to get inspired. I loved making collages out of magazines as a kid, and I’ve recently introduced that practice to my girls, too. My younger daughter, Juliette, has started to merge print and digital and makes reels of what she creates.
An Analog Experience in a Digital World
Our kids are bombarded with virtual images and experiences day in and day out. With this in mind, I take every opportunity I can to engage Juliette and Sophie in off-screen activities. Magazines are perfect for this. They are excited when there’s a new issue waiting when they get home, they spend focused time reading and they often have a new project or idea in mind as a result. I especially love when they take an issue to school to show their teacher or their friends.
I often lament that everything today is too fast. That we expect kids to keep pace with a world on warp speed. A magazine subscription naturally allows them to slow down, and to experience something in a completely different way than anything they’ll get on their tablet or phone. I can’t say it’s nostalgic for them, because they don’t really know any better, but it sure is for me. And I’ll happily keep buying them subscriptions as long as they excitedly keep checking the mailbox.
